Mutton with Baked Buns-The True Spirit Exclusive to the Loess Plateau

3 min read

Xi’ an used to be an ancient capital of China, bearing association with an outlook of being simple, unadorned, unconstrained and bold.

The terracotta warriors of the Qin Dynasty are historical records of Xianyang of 2,000 years ago, while Huaqing Pool in present-day Xi’ an(a spa favored by the Tang Imperial Concubine Yang Guifei) relates the stories about Chang’ an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty 1,000 years ago. But, to get acquainted with the real Xi’ an today and to thoroughly understand the people presently living there, different aspects of Xi’ an life and the true spirit exclusive to Xi’ an focus on a bowl of mutton with baked buns.

When arriving at a restaurant that specializes in mutton with baked buns, take a large white porcelain bowl, which is acclaimed as”Number One Bowl under Heaven”-the rim is as large as a human head-and get two baked buns. Stroll first around the other customers who are breaking up the buns easily and those who are drinking their hot soup. By the time you get a seat, your appetite and eagerness will have been fully whetted by the customers who are all smiles and dripping with sweat.

When having mutton with baked buns, break up the buns yourself. The buns, which are 90 percent dough and 10 percent unleavened dough, are first formed into buns and then baked-crisp, crunchy, sweet and delicious. The buns need to be broken into pieces that are as small as the heads of bees. Only by doing so can the buns become tasty, chewy and smooth.

The small pieces are then taken to the kitchen. The cook responsible for the assortment deftly slices prepared, streaky mutton, readies some vermicelli made of bean starch, dried bean curd, edible black fungus, garlic shoot, etc, spreads chopped green onion and coriander on itand then passes it on to the master chef, who’s been waiting by the stove. The master chef takes a spoonful of leftover sauce from a pot to the frying pan. When the sauce begins to boil, the chef empties everything into thepan and boils the mixture thoroughly over a roaring fire; this way, mutton with baked buns can be served instantly.

The leftover sauce is made of mutton, sheep bones and various condiments. The mutton is thoroughly cooked while the sauce is thick and sticky. The well-cooked mutton is taken from the pot and reserved for later use, while the sauce is used for making mutton with baked buns. In the frying pan where the mutton with baked buns is cooked, the leftover sauce and the prepared, streaky mutton meet again. As a result, all the differentflavors are stored in the buns, making them chewy, sticky and strongly aromatic.

People usually have mutton with baked buns to accompany pepper, coriander and sweetened garlic, nibbled from the rim of the bowl. Thus, the flavor of theleftover sauce is well-preserved to produce a lingering scent. In no time, customers will feel hot and beads of sweat will cover their foreheads. Another bowl of the original leftover sauce after a bowl of mutton with baked buns will satisfy and energize the customers.

When Xi’ an people drink their soup, they are eager and anxious, but when they are breaking up the buns, they assume a languor-a free and leisurely attitude. This striking contrast between impatient anxiety and languorous ease illustrates the distinct way of life of the people living on the loess plateau.